BIG BUILDING COLLAPSE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19060, 3 July 1925, Page 12

BIG BUILDING COLLAPSE.

CRACKS IN CONCRETE BEAMS. REJECTION OF MATERIALS. Reginald Shaw, one of tho workmen who narrowly escaped death in tho collapso of tho British-Australian Tobacco Company's concrete building in Melbourne on April 24, gavo ovidenco, at tho coronen's inquiry last week. Four men were killed when portion of tho building facing Stewart Street fell. Shaw said that on tho morning of the accident ho saw a crack 18io. long in tho base of one of the pillars. Ho told tho foreman, who told him to "bag" it again and see if it cracked any more. On tho pillar nearest the stairway the concrete at tho baso seemed to have crumbled. It looked as if thero was too much weight ori it. That afternoon ho saw nthat there was a piece caved out of tho pillar, and ho thought workmen were putting in fresh concrete. "I was walking to tho stajrs," Shaw said, "whe:a Marshall, ono of the men killed, called outT to me, and away sho wont! Wo had no warning. I -was pinned beneath the wreckage for about lialf-an-hour." In his six years' experience Shaw said ho had never seen beams as bad as these. Every beam on tho fourth floor was chipped. There seemed to be a skin of cement about one inch thick around tho beams. Tho foreman was awaro of the cracks, and had told them to go on and chip whero necessary and then to bag up with cement and sand "compo." Frederick Isaac Doud, a young. man whoso duty, it was to attend to tho elevator and to the sand and screenings which camo on to tho job, was also examined by Mr. Elsbury, who represented the Cown solicitor. Mr. ELsbury: Was it left to your discretion to decide whether screenings wero good or bad ? . Dodd: If I was doubtful I called Mr. Ingham. Did you ever soon any "crook" sand delivered? —Now and then. How many loads did you condemn?— Quito a number. Any screenings ? —Dozens and dozens of loads of screenings wero sent away. Why ? —Either becauso they wero too large or too dirty. You rojectod all screenings of more than half an-inch ?—Yes. Did you ever seo any rod sand como on the job?— Yes; Mr. Ingham (tho foreman) told mo to send it away. To Mr. Lowe; Mr. Ingham was very particular about the materials used. Nearly every morning ho would impress on mo to oxamino all materials carefully and to reject any not in accord with the specifications. *1 was, therefore, very careful in carrying out my duties. A cablegram published last Tuesday stated that, the inquiry resulted in the architect, tho clerk of works and one of tho contractors being committed for trial on charges of manslaughter.